Plane down near Tyndall Air Force Base

Emergency responders are heading to the area of Tyndall Air Force Base outside of Panama City in response to a report of an aircraft down on U.S. 98.

RANDAL YAKEY / The News Herald

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE — An F-22 Raptor — the most sophisticated, technologically advanced fighting machine the U.S. Air Force has ever produced — crashed and burned inside the perimeter of the base at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

U.S. Air Force Col. David Graff, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall, said the pilot had a problem about five miles southeast of Tyndall and “went down” while returning to the base near what is considered the “drone” runway.

“It was a flight mishap,” Graff said.

“The pilot safely ejected and is undergoing medical evaluation,” continued Graff, standing inside the base’s visitor center Thursday evening. “We were forced to close (U.S.) 98 for a while to allow first responders to get there and provide safety on the scene.”

While the highway was closed, traffic was backed up for miles.

Graff said the pilot seemed to be in good shape.

“We are still evaluating for injuries but he looks to be doing well,” he said

The nation’s F-22 fighter jets were grounded for four months last year after pilots complained of experiencing a lack of oxygen that can cause dizziness and blackouts. Air Force officials said they discovered a deficient valve inside the vest used by the pilots and corrected the problem.

Graff downplayed questions about a connection between the oxygen system and the crash.

“There is nothing to indicate this is at all related to that,” Graff said.

Graff said the pilot was not in training. Tyndall AFB is the sole training facility for F-22 pilots. He did not release the identity of the pilot. The pilot was not doing “touch and go” maneuvers, he said.

Graff said hazardous materials units were on the scene as were flight investigators. Graff would not confirm whether jet fuel had been spilled.

With the fall of night, investigators had secured the scene. The investigation is expected to continue Friday morning.

“We will convene a safety board, which is where we get senior officers and other members of the Air Force that are experts in multiple different fields to start evaluating the data that we have. At that point, when that is convened, we will quickly identify if there are any concerns that apply to flying the F-22, or any aircraft for that matter, we will release that. But then we will do a full investigation to identify of how to proceed further. ”

Bay County Sheriff’s deputies, Mexico Beach Police and Parker police officers assisted with traffic control. U.S. 98 between Mexico Beach and the DuPont Bridge was closed and remained closed until evening, according to police officials on the scene.

“The F-22 is the best fighter aircraft we have in the United States,” Graff said. “I have full confidence in its capability.”

The Government Accountability Office estimated the cost of the F-22 at over $400 million.